Ecological World-Building: From Science Fiction to Virtual Reality

More recently, the concept of “worldbuilding” has come to the fore. The term describes the creation of fictional worlds with unique settings, histories, aesthetics, and characters. Our franchise-dominated media environment is rife with worlds and extended universes, straddling the physical and the virtual, the fictional and the real. There is a pal... See more

We regularly think of worlds operating with specific external boundaries, which contain relative internal coherency despite the occasional leak.(1) The Victorian fascination with terrariums demonstrates this well. But what if the opposite were true, and unstable boundaries are precisely what constitutes worldness?

The story of a human retreat from this world, either to the stars above or the virtual realm within, can mask a disregard for or resignation about what is done with the world we do have, both in terms of the structures of human societies and the non-human world within which they are rooted. Put another way, we might say that imagining the digital s... See more

Worldbuilding serves as a “container,” allowing for non-linear narratives and ‘choose your own adventure’ (CYOA) paths, creating intriguing rabbit holes for audiences to explore and transformative experiences to emerge. Its rich and captivating nature not only retains audience attention but fosters opportunities for relationship building and long-t... See more